"How? How could this happen?" The first floor of the Gravity Training Tower fell completely silent. All the upperclassmen stared in shock. This couldn't be real. A training dummy that hadn't moved an inch had just exploded from the inside! "Something's wrong!" "This freshman must've cheated!" "We all watched him punch the training dummy just now!" "When he punched it, the dummy didn't even budge." "So you can actually punch one of these training dummies apart? I've never heard of that!" "Has anyone in the third or fourth year ever managed it?" "N-no idea." ... The place erupted in a jumble of voices. Ye Xiao had left them utterly stunned. Everyone knew how sturdy the training dummies were. To destroy one, you'd need to be at least as strong as Old Man Black, the gatekeeper, right? But now, Ye Xiao had destroyed a training dummy. Did that mean he was as strong as Old Man Black? That was ridiculous! Every upperclassman there had the same thought. As the culprit who'd destroyed the training dummy, Ye Xiao had thrown that perfect punch, and now he was completely drained of strength. He collapsed to the ground again. But he was grinning. [ Ding! ] [ You completed a punch. Punch strength: 100%! ] [ You gained 20 Martial Value! ] [ Congratulations! You have learned the passive skill: Hidden Force! ] [ Congratulations! You have surpassed your body's potential! Your realm has greatly improved! ] [ Current Realm: Mud Embryo Realm · 101th Level! ] [ Current Realm: Mud Embryo Realm · 102th Level! ] [...] [ Current Realm: Mud Embryo Realm · 120th Level! ] That punch had raised Ye Xiao's realm by a full 20 levels! He could feel the power inside him surging upward! The newly acquired power was subtly and mysteriously evolving the cells and bones throughout his body. Although Ye Xiao had exhausted all his strength and potential, his body's capacity for power had also expanded! Once he'd rested, his strength would be far greater than before. At that moment, Ye Xiao checked the new passive skill he'd just learned on his own. [ Hidden Force (Passive): When you punch, you can leave a portion of Hidden Force inside your target! ] "My whole body hurts like hell, but this feels amazing!" Ye Xiao laughed. "Hahahahaha!" The upperclassmen in the distance watched Ye Xiao lying on the ground like a cripple, then laughing out loud. They were becoming more and more convinced that this freshman was insane! Who trained like this, risking their life? But they didn't know that the Ye Xiao they were mocking, the one they thought was crazy, was using a training method so extreme that nobody could understand it to hammer his martial foundation into shape! By now, Ye Xiao had reached the 120th level of the Mud Embryo Realm! "Level 120 is just the beginning!" "I'm going to push for level 1,000!" Just as Ye Xiao achieved the "Hundred Refinements to Steel" milestone, his [Path of the Strong] updated with a new milestone. After "Hundred Refinements to Steel," a new, unachieved milestone appeared: "Thousand Refinements to Gold"! [ Thousand Refinements to Gold! Trigger condition: Reach level 1,000 in the Mud Embryo Realm! (Not achieved) Reward: Extreme Martial Body (Initial Embryo)! ] Ye Xiao fixed his bright, determined gaze on "Thousand Refinements to Gold"! He thought, I'm at level 120 in the Mud Embryo Realm now, and my combat strength feels about equal to someone in the Third Realm of a profession. If I break through to level 1,000 in the Mud Embryo Realm, I wonder which professional realm my combat strength will match. Ye Xiao was growing more and more eager to find out. So what if he had an E-Grade talent? So what if his profession was the weakest? What did it matter if he stayed stuck in the First Realm? As long as he could keep improving his punching power, none of that mattered. No matter how strong my enemies are, I'll keep honing this punch until it reaches perfection! With overwhelming force, I'll break through every technique and crush them with one punch! A blazing fighting spirit flared in Ye Xiao's heart. Then, Ye Xiao was lying on the ground in front of the shattered training dummy, so he'd become something of a celebrity. Many upperclassmen had gathered to watch him. Some had even come down from the floors above just to see him. Ye Xiao didn't care what other people thought, but being stared at like a monkey was still strange. So Ye Xiao opened his [Martial Heart Mall], ready to buy a "Martial Dao Golden Pellet (Small)" to quickly replenish his strength. Just as Ye Xiao was about to spend 5 Martial Value to buy it, an old man's face suddenly appeared in front of his. It was Old Man Black, who guarded the Gravity Training Tower. He bent over and smiled at Ye Xiao. Then he dropped a red pill from his hand. By sheer coincidence, it landed right in Ye Xiao's mouth. Ye Xiao instinctively tried to spit out the strange object. Old Man Black's voice drifted over. "That's a Tiger Sun Pill. It replenishes your strength and vital energy." "You'll regret it if you spit it out." "You can't buy these anywhere else. They're made exclusively for the school's Alchemy Academy. I only had one." At that, Ye Xiao managed to close his mouth, which he'd already puckered to spit the pill out. Then he chewed it, half convinced. The Tiger Sun Pill had a spicy, burning taste when crushed, like eating a chili pepper. "Cough, cough, cough!" Ye Xiao choked and coughed repeatedly. But the next moment, the crushed Tiger Sun Pill entered Ye Xiao's body. As soon as its effects kicked in, Ye Xiao felt the meridians that had been drained of strength start generating power at an incredible speed. His depleted vital energy was quickly replenished. His overworked muscle cells were richly nourished. His exhausted strength was rapidly returning! "This feeling of getting my strength back so quickly is amazing!" The sky had cleared and the rain had stopped. Ye Xiao felt like he was back in action! After lying there for two minutes, Ye Xiao was able to stand up with relative ease. By then, the muscles in his body had taken shape. They weren't bulky, but lean and well-defined. His physique remained balanced, yet concealed terrifying explosive power within. "Thanks, Old Man Black!" Ye Xiao quickly called out his thanks in the direction Old Man Black had gone. Old Man Black waved a hand. "Don't thank me. Thank yourself." At that, Ye Xiao paused. "Thank myself?" "Old Man Black, I meant to thank you for the pill." Old Man Black replied, "Who said I gave you the Tiger Sun Pill for free?" At those words, Ye Xiao froze. His gratitude vanished in an instant. Well, damn! He'd been tricked! He'd thought the pill was a free gift. Turns out it was a loan shark scheme! Old Man Black added, "You have two choices." "Either give me another identical Tiger Sun Pill," "or do something for me." When Ye Xiao heard that, he immediately understood everything. Old Man Black had already said the Tiger Sun Pill was precious, and that he only had one. So there was no way Ye Xiao could give him an identical Tiger Sun Pill. That left him with no choice but to do something for Old Man Black. Ye Xiao hurried after him and fell into step beside him. He said, "Old Man Black, I have principles and limits. I won't kill or set fires, and I won't drink, gamble, or sleep around..." Old Man Black heard this, shook his head helplessly, and kept walking in silence. Suddenly, he stopped and asked out of the blue, "What else won't you do?"
Ye Xiao froze. He'd only said that as a joke.
But had Old Man Black taken him seriously?
He shook his head. "I don't think so."
A strange smile suddenly crept across Old Man Black's face.
"Good. Then go seduce someone."
"S-seduce? Who? I wouldn't seduce an innocent woman!" Ye Xiao exclaimed, backing away two steps.
Old Man Black tapped his cane and spoke solemnly.
"She's a freshman at your university, too—a young lady from the Su Family named Su Muyun."
"Get her to fall for you and bring her to meet me. Then we'll be even."
Before you continue